Nation will have to hold its breath a bit longer

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Indonesia wants rapid reform from its newly installed
leader. It might have to be patient, writes Matthew
Moore.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had not even been sworn in as
Indonesia's sixth president when the first demonstrators arrived at
the gates of Parliament.

They carried placards demanding corrupt businessmen be sent to
jail and, while there was no venom in their demands for justice,
their presence was another reminder that Indonesians are growing
impatient. It is more than six months since the first round of
elections that have wrecked ex-president Megawati Soekarnoputri's
political career.

Her failure to even attend yesterday's ceremony installing her
replacement showed once again her inability to accept the judgement
of her nation.

Megawati's attempts at reform were modest and patchy, and when
voters were given their first chance to directly elect their
leader, they abandoned her in favour of someone promising a lot
more.

The country expects great things from Yudhoyono. He has promised
to boost economic growth, create jobs, revive the ailing education
and health systems, restore foreign investment and tackle
corruption.

Australians might think terrorism is its northern neighbour's
major problem, but Indonesians know an economy that remains the
most damaged by the Asian economic crisis demands the first big
effort.

Building a functioning bureaucracy, creating a legal system that
does more than sell judgements and repairing the country's
crumbling infrastructure are all urgent problems Yudhoyono is
expected to tackle.

The 55-year-old, US-educated former army general knows the size
and urgency of the problems he must solve if he is to make
Indonesia a more serious competitor in the Asian and world
communities.

He and his deputy, Jusuf Kalla, have been happy to talk up the
idea of a plan for their first 100 days and yet all the signs from
Yudhoyono point to a leader almost allergic to the idea of
rapid-fire reform.

Holed up in his house on Jakarta's outskirts since his election
victory, he has been busy interviewing candidates for cabinet. The
new President began this process to show his support for a
transparent selection system, and to give opponents a chance to
protest, but he failed to honour a promise to interview three
candidates for each position.

Indeed, he ran out of time to even talk with one candidate for
each position and was still interviewing people after his
inauguration yesterday, racing to meet the latest deadline to
announce his cabinet.

Yudhoyono is a president bearing the high hopes of the nation,
but it's clear that the people will need to be patient.